About Me

I truly believe I am the luckiest girl in the world. At 23 years old, I've had more life-changing experiences than most do in an entire lifetime. From sailing around the world to dancing down Main Street USA, I have to wonder how this is all real.

What's Next?

For the first time in a while, I'm not really sure where my life is headed. I'll be heading to Florida after graduation to continue working for Disney, but in terms of major plans, all I know is that I want to make a difference. I'm not sure where, and I'm not sure how, but unknowing adventure is an idea I've definitely become more comfortable with over the years.

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Tuesday, April 24, 2012

*Crossing the street. Crossing the street was quite possibly the
scariest set of experiences on this voyage so far. Street lights don't
really exist in Vietnam. In fact, pedestrians having the right of way
when crossing doesn't exist either. Though there are few cars in
Vietnam, there are thousands upon thousands upon thousands of motorized
bikes that I am not sure what to call since I just don't remember the
actual name. Basically, these cars/bikes drive super fast, take turns
widely, and don't stop for pedestrians. Since there are no stoplights,
there isn't a change to cross freely and we were literally told in
preport just to start walking. The most important thing, we were told,
was to keep a common pace and just keep going. A lot easier said than
done, right? Petrified, I noticed I was completely horrible at just
going and ended up just grabbing the person closest to me at any time
and closing my eyes while trusting them not to make me killed. My heart
raced still with each time I crossed, and I have never been more
thankful for Boston, or even New York City, traffic. At least I won't be
expected to just walk and hope that the cars decide to go around me
rather than into me. If anyone reading this is ever in Vietnam, just
cross the street as little as possible. I realize its inevitable not to
cross at all, but try your best, or at least find less crowded streets
to cross even if it requires a bit more walking. 20 people die crossing
the street every day in Vietnam. Holy shit.
*Dangerous. Vietnam was the most dangerous port that we went were traveling to. During pre-port, we were of course told this, but since we've been to "take care of ourselves and each other" in every pre-port except for Singapore (where we were told to drink all the tap water we get our hands on), so I think a lot of people neglected to believe the severity they tried to instil. I'll admit that I didn't take it much more seriously than any other port, but thankfully I tend to be more cautious that a lot of other people just by nature. Anyway, long story short, more people had run ins with guns, robbery and violence than in all of the previous ports combined. More students than I can count got locked in taxis until they gave up their possessions, a few others got held up at gunpoint, more were drugged, and 2 others had very serious accidents that for one ended, and for one greatly affected, their roles with Semester at Sea. I won't tell any of these stories in detail since they aren't my own, but this is the primary reason my friends and I decided not to go out to any popular bars or clubs at night and even stayed on the ship for the last night in port. It really wasn't worth the risk.
*Gluten Free. And now, for a happy note on Vietnam. My tour guide had it right when he told me Vietnam doesn't have wheat. This is the first port where I didn't have to eat nothing but protein bars for days on end. I got to eat almost all the same food as everyone else! I got to experience the national dish, I didn't have to question ingredients or cross-contamination anywhere. In fact, the only place that I even saw wheat was at Subway. Everything is rice based and it was literally a gluten free heaven. It felt so nice to not have to worry about hidden gluten, like malt in my smoothies or cross-contamination. It felt even nicer to be eating the same meals as all of my friends. Delicious is quite an understatement. Vietnam may not even know what gluten is, but as it doesn't even exist, that doesn't really make a difference. Though Disney might be a gluten free heaven in America, I think Vietnam has it beat as an international destination.
*Ho Chi Minh. His picture is literally everywhere. I expected to see this in regards to Mao in China, but it was a bit more unusual (though not entirely surprising) in Vietnam. When we went to the school for the disabled, Ho's picture was plastered above the degrees of the teachers. His face is on tees everywhere and his portrait is somewhere in ever government entity. It is very strange how communism often sees to be such a cult.
*Weddings. The United States doesn't recognize marriages performed in Vietnam (or at least that's the MV community has been taught to know), so therefore it should be no surprise that SAS students desired to make a complete mockery of the Vietnamese institution of marriage and just "marry" random people. There are quite a few couples now married in Vietnam on this ship, and more than once we were invited to a "wedding." Though I think it would have been fun, my negative attitudes towards it definitely outweigh the fun value. Random people were getting married to people they have known for 2 months, just because they think it would be fun. For the Vietnamese, marriage ceremonies aren't just a joke, and it made me pretty resentful to see students, who are supposed to be learning about other people, having a wedding simply for satiric comedy and entertainment. After we left Vietnam, I was proud to answer no when people asked Dain and I if we were "one of the couples to be married in Vietnam." This real couple has actually learned something from the SAS experience.
*Prices. Vietnam is SO cheap. DVDs were 50cents, shirts were like $3-5, full meals were less than $2 and magnets were about 10cents. So I got to eat and buy everything, and spend less than any port before it. Works for me.

Overall, Vietnam was a lot more than I expected. Ho Chi Minh was a modern city and the consumerist in me definitely had a field week. It was a really nice experience, and the food was just amazing, though I can't pretend it also wasn't the scariest. I was happy with my time in Vietnam, but ready to head to China.